A Family Affair
by therunawaypen
Summary: Q is intrigued by the mysterious man James and Alec bring in. But as he speaks to Sherlock Holmes, the Quartermaster may have finally met his match.


Q couldn't deny that he was curious about the man Alec and James had brought in to MI6 for questioning. After all, it wasn't every day the agency came across supposed dead men (maybe every week or so, depending on how dramatic James felt).

Yet, here he stood, watching as one Sherlock Holmes was lead to a holding cell. It was incredible really. Alec and James had been working a case within the Moriarty crime syndicate, but when they went to make their move on the target, they found this man standing over the body.

"So what do you think it is?" Eve asked him, "He fakes his death, only to hunt down Moriarty's men to clear his name? A personal vendetta?"

"Eve, outside MI6, how many people would actually do all that for a personal vendetta?" Q shook his head, "We need to know what he knows." He murmured, approaching the holding cell. Holmes was handcuffed to the small table in the cell, and both it and the chair he was sitting in were bolted to the floor. After Silva, they couldn't be too safe.

"I'm sure James can get some information out of him." Eve nodded.

"No." Q shook his head, "I'm going to do it."

Eve raised an eyebrow, "You sure? If the stories are true about this guy, he could really mess with your head."

Q rolled his eyes, "Well it's a good thing my head is more complicated than everyone in MI6 combined."

With that, Q made his way to the holding cell to question Sherlock Holmes.

* * *

"This is a terrible idea." James muttered, watching as Q entered the cell in which their suspect sat. He was observing from the other side of the one way mirror because there was no way he would allow Q to be near a threat without him being close by for backup.

Eve looked at him, "Q insisted." She sighed, "I think it has something to do with curiosity and his ego as a genius."

"You're joking." Alex snorted.

Eve rolled her eyes, "You agents like to challenge each other physically, why shouldn't Q want to challenge someone mentally. That is if Sherlock Holmes actually is a genius, and not a fraud."

James shook his head as Q shut the cell door behind him. Holmes glanced up at the sound of the door shutting. From the way his eyes flickered over Q's face and body, James could tell he was profiling the Quartermaster, taking in all relevant information. He only hoped that Q would be able to handle the interrogation.

"Mr. Holmes." Q started, laying down a file on the table before sitting across the Holmes, "How odd for us to meet like this, considering the fact several witnesses were there when you committed suicide."

Holmes said nothing, merely watching Q as he looked through the papers in the files, "So what were you doing in Teipei?" Q continued, peering over his glasses to look at the detective.

Now Holmes was smirking, "You don't honestly expect me to answer that, do you?" he raised an eyebrow, "Of course not, you're not that stupid."

In the observation room, James clenched his fists.

Holmes shook his head, "Perhaps I should warn you that in 5-10 minutes, you're going to get a call from your superior, ordering you to release me, no questions asked."

"Is that so?" Q scoffed. James winced, wishing Q hadn't shown any emotion.

The detective nodded, "Of course, and you should be more concerned. After all, the Quartermaster of MI6 doesn't have many superiors."

The silence that followed was deafening. James blinked. How could he have known that?

Q was thinking the same thing, "How—"

"You're obviously not an interrogator or anything of that sort." Holmes interrupted, "Nor do you have the physical capability of an agent. So you work with your mind. The small calluses on your fingertips tell me you type— a lot. Computers, then. And not just a low level techie, otherwise you wouldn't have the power to be in here talking to me. And, judging by small electrical burns on your hands, you also build and design a lot of the technical breakthroughs here." He smirked, "So the head of the technical division of MI6."

Before Q could speak, Holmes started up again, "You're young too. Younger than anyone who has ever had a position previously. You haven't even celebrated your 30th birthday yet, and won't for a few years. A fact you lied about when you joined MI6."

James could see the panic tugging at Q's face, and the tension settling in his shoulders. "I wouldn't worry." Holmes smirked, "I'm sure you've far than proven yourself to this agency. And, if not, I'm sure your lover would sooner burn MI6 to the ground than see something happen to you. I suppose that is one of the perks of sleeping with a 00 agent."

A sharp crack echoed in the cell as Q snapped, lunging across the table and driving a fist across Holmes's face. The Quartermaster's breath was shaking slightly, the fingers in his fist twitching. James was almost surprised at how Holmes had gotten under Q's skin so easily.

Holmes, despite the face his nose and lip were bleeding, smirked, "And he's taught you self defense. How thoughtful."

Q opened his mouth, most likely to tear Holmes a new one. But before that happened, Q's cellphone went off.

"I didn't think Q would have his phone on." Eve murmured.

James shook his head, "He didn't…someone turned it on remotely."

Alec whistled lowly as Q answered the phone, "Bloody hell, James. What the hell is going on here?"

"Hell if I know…I shouldn't have let Q in there…" James murmured, watching as Q answered the phone call with short "yes sirs,""of course, sir," and "not at all, sir" before hanging up and staring at Holmes.

"We're to release you…immediately."

Holmes checked his watch, "12 minutes, he's getting slow." He smirked, standing up. It was then James realized that Holmes's handcuffs were lying useless on the table, picked and open. "Next time we meet, Quartermaster, perhaps we shall be on level ground. Who knows, perhaps we can talk about more interesting topics, like your father."

Q glared, "What the hell would you know about my father?"

Holmes didn't answer, simply taking out a handkerchief and cleaning the blood off his face, "Why don't you start with this?"He said evenly, dropping the bloody cloth on the table, "Until next time, Quartermaster."

With that, Sherlock Holmes walked out of the cell, and MI6, without so much as a word spoken to him.

* * *

Q was a mess following the interview (more like verbal ass-kicking, as Alec put it). He was snapping at his minions to get them to run Holmes's blood.

"The guy is a sociopath, Q." James sighed, "You shouldn't be so hard on yourself. It could have been any of us that Holmes tore apart."

"Could have been." Q paced the floor of Q branch, "But it wasn't. He made me look like afool. He knew about the father I've never met. I cannot stand for that, James!"

One of the minions cleared her throat, "I've got it, sir!" She nodded, typing a sequence on her keyboard to bring up the profile on Sherlock Holmes.

Q's eyes scanned the information, "I want a family history, Becky." He frowned, tapping his foot in agitation.

"Father Siger Holmes, deceased. Mother Violet Holmes, lives in the family home." Becky nodded, "One older brother, Mycroft Holmes."

Behind them, Eve groaned, "I was just hoping it was a coincidence…"

Both James and Q looked at Eve, "What?"

Eve sighed, "M has several meetings with a Mycroft Holmes…he's M's boss."

"So that's it then, big brother bails out his kid brother." James rolled his eyes.

There was a beep from one of the computers. Q turned his attention to the minion who sat at the computer, "What?"

"Um, sir…we found another hit on his family." The minion started, "No records connecting them, but there's a partial genetic match. A half-brother."

There was a pause, "…Well?" Q asked, irritated, "What are you waiting for? Put it on the screen!"

"Sir, I don't think…"

"Just do it!"

The minion did, clicking a few choice keys. In an instant, all of Q branch went silent.

Next to the picture of Sherlock Holmes, there was Q's MI6-issued ID picture. Underneath, there was flashing text "GENTETIC MATCH"

James looked at Q, who had gone completely white. The mug in his hand was shaking, splashing tea all over the floor.

Then static covered the screen, "What's happening?" Eve shouted at the minions.

"We're being hacked!" Becky responded, typing furiously, "They're by-passing every security measure we have!"

The large screen went black for a moment. Then all of Q branch watched as type began to cover the screen.

_In case you were wondering, I figured out we were brothers 3.5 seconds after you shut the cell door Honestly, couldn't you see the family resemblance? The Holmes family has always been…extraordinary. Do keep up the good work._

_Until next time, baby brother._

_-SH_


End file.
